Scottish Smoked Salmon with Brown Bread
The Christmas starter that needs no cooking: good Scottish smoked salmon, buttered brown bread, lemon and capers, ready in 10 minutes.
AI assistance: the introduction, ingredient list, method, tips and FAQ on this page were drafted with an AI writing tool, working from long-established traditional methods. Named editor who reviewed it: owner to supply How we work
- Prep
- 10 min
- Total
- 10 min
- Makes
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Course
- Starter
- Cuisine
- Scottish
Scotland is famous for its smoked salmon, and a plate of it with brown bread is one of the simplest, most elegant ways to start Christmas dinner. It leaves the oven free for everything else.
The secret is simply good ingredients, served cold, with a squeeze of lemon and plenty of black pepper.
Ingredients
Cups use the King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart. Weighing is more accurate.
- 300 g Scottish smoked salmon, sliced
- 6 slices brown or wheaten bread
- 50 g soft salted butter
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- 2 tbsp capers, drained
- freshly ground black pepper and a few sprigs of dill
- 4 tbsp crème fraîche mixed with 1 tsp horseradish sauce, optional
Equipment
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Method
- 1
Take the salmon out of the fridge 10 minutes before serving so the flavour comes through, but keep it cool.
- 2
Butter the bread and cut into triangles.
- 3
Arrange the salmon in loose folds on plates. Add the bread, a lemon wedge, a scattering of capers and dill, and a spoonful of horseradish cream if using.
- 4
Finish with plenty of black pepper and serve straight away.
Tips
Homemade wheaten bread or Irish soda bread is perfect alongside. Keep smoked salmon in the fridge until just before serving.
If it goes wrong
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Salmon tastes very salty | Strongly cured salmon | Serve with plenty of lemon and unsalted butter |
| Bread soggy | Assembled too early | Butter and plate just before serving |
Frequently asked questions
Is smoked salmon safe in pregnancy?
The NHS advises that cold-smoked and cured fish, such as smoked salmon, must be cooked until steaming hot in pregnancy, so this cold starter is best avoided.
How much smoked salmon per person for a starter?
About 50–75 g per person.
How long does opened smoked salmon keep?
Follow the pack, but generally eat it within a couple of days of opening and keep it in the fridge.
Sources
- Foods to avoid in pregnancy, NHS, 15 June 2026. Checked 8 October 2026.
Guides for this recipe
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Card photos: A chef's knife with a wooden handle, Frank Schulenburg via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped; Kitchen knives held on a wall-mounted magnetic strip, Phil! Gold from Pikesville, MD, USA via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped; A black bun cut open to show the dense, dark fruit filling inside its pastry case, IMBJR via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped; A plate of clapshot, mashed potato and swede with chives, beside oatcakes, Mutt Lunker via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped; A round, dark clootie dumpling on a plate, Matt Riggott from Reykjavik, Iceland via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped. All credits: image credits.